A Rose In The Ashes
by happyhooligan2001
Summary: Born from a forbidden love between a German officer and a Japanese woman. Growing up in the chaos of wartime Japan. Coming of age in the shattered nation of postwar Germany. The untold story of Edna Mode.
1. Child Of Silk

A Rose In the Ashes

Chapter One

Child Of Silk

* * *

The bright red Corvette convertible pulled up to the front gate of the large sprawling mansion. It's sole occupant, an attactive woman in her early thirties. Blond hair partially concealed by a blue scarf. Her blue eyes concealed by a set of rather expensive designer sunglasses. She twisted her rearview mirror to check her appearance then pushed the button.

The small tv screen flickered on showing a large man in a uniform. "Name!" he demanded with a gruff voice.

"Paula Brickhill, I have an appointment with Ms. Mode."

"Let me talk to her!" a heavily accented voice came from outside the screen. The top of a woman's head with large glasses peered up from the bottom third of the screen. "You're late!"

Paula glanced at her watch. "Only two minutes, there was an accident on the . . . "

"No excuses! I am a very busy woman! I keep my appointments and I expect others to do the same!"

"I'm so sorry but I really need to do this interview before you leave for Paris tomorrow."

Edna gave a deep sigh, "Oh very vell, let her in." The large ornate gates swung open.

As Paula entered the mansion she was astonished. Everything was huge. It was like an art deco palace created for a giant. She wondered why this tiny woman would want to live in a place like this. Perhaps it was barely big enough to hold the woman's ego. Paula had every intentention of cutting that ego down to size. Waiting in a gigantic waiting room was the woman she had come to see. Edna Mode wasn't much taller than four feet. She stared Paula up and down scrutinizing her. "I see that you shop at Val-Mart."

"I paid over five hundred dollars for this dress at Michael's of London."

"Michael is a follower, not a leader. And vhy do you vaste my time talking about your dress? Ve have vork to do! Let's get started." Edna led Paula to a shining white art deco table which was as gigantic as the rest of the house. They took seats on opposite sides. "A Chinese symbol tatooed on the inside of your wrist. That is so two years ago."

"I got it done last week. It means hope."

Edna smirked. "If believing that makes you happy I von't spoil your day. Chust remember to vear long sleeves if you ever visit Chinatown. It vill save you much unnessesary . . . embarrassment."

Paula gave her tattoo a suspicious glance as she sat down and pulled out her tape recorder. She pushed the record button and made sure the reels were turning before she spoke. "I'm now speaking with Edna Mode, the world famous fashion designer. Edna, what kind of project are you working on now?"

"I'm vorking on a new and unique dress for Natalie Slow Cow. She is going to get one of those silly little movie statues this veekend." Edna waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Yes, the Oscar for best actress. Natalie Slaukau was nominated for her role in the mystery thriller, Thou Shalt Not Kill. She's the favorite to win it." Paula leaned forward and gave Edna a sly smile. "Are you aware that Natalie Slaukau is Jewish?"

Edna blinked once, "I am avare, I just don't see the revelance."

"Well how do you think she would feel if she knew your father was a Nazi?"

"That is a silly question. You vould have to ask her."

"Natalie is Polish-American. She lost relatives in the Holocaust. Haven't you been concealing the fact that your parents were facist monsters supporting regimes that killed millions and laid waste to much of the world?"

"I conceal nothink. I never look to the past. It detracts from the now. But I vill not tolerate you insulting my parents! You know nothink about them!"

Paula pressed forward. "I see that my line of questioning has caught you off guard. I guess you weren't expecting this."

Edna stared at Paula with an intensity that nearly caused her to wilt. "Yes, I am surprised! You get a chance to speak with a true genius and you vaste your time with irrelevant, silly questions! It vould be like asking Einstein about dog collars! Talking to Mozart about potato soup!" She was now pacing and gesturing with her hands. Her voice was dripping with contempt. "If you vant to vaste your time and mine too with trivial nonsense I vill oblige. I did agree to this interview. I vill tell you everyting you vant to know. Let's begin at the beginning shall ve . . . "

* * *

Kiel Naval Base

Germany

30 July, 1933

Oberleutnant Ernst Mode whistled a jolly tune as he walked to his office. A man of average height and looks with sandy blond hair and a lightly freckled face, his uniform was clean and pressed. The way the base looked did dampen his mood a little. Banners marked with swastikas hung everywhere, on buildings and streetlamps. Ever since Hitler was elected chancellor. Well, Ernst didn't vote for him. It will only be for a few years. Hitler was just another politician and politicians come and go.

He entered the headquarters building and went up the stairs to his small office on the second floor, personnel division. His job was shuffling sailors and new recruits to the few remaining ships the Kriegsmarine still had left after the Treaty of Versailles. He plopped in his chair and began checking the latest recruit roster.

After about half an hour the phone on his desk rang. Ernst picked it up. "Personnel office, Leutenant Mode."

"This is Kapitan Wessel, report to my office at once."

"Yes sir!" Leutnant Mode returned the phone to it's cradle. He felt a knot of fear in his stomach. Wessel didn't sound very happy. He wondered what kind of mess he might be in now. Well, nothing to do but go face the music.

Mode snapped to attention and saluted Captain Wessel. "Lt. Mode reporting as ordered sir!"

"At ease." Captain Wessel was looking through a folder. "It seems you have a knack for languages."

"Yes sir, it's just a hobby, I speak French, Dutch, English, Japanese, and Italian."

"It's the Japanese that I'm interested in. Would you be interested in the post of Assistant Naval Liaison in Tokyo?"

Ernst felt a thrill go through him. "Yes sir, wherever the Reich feels I can serve best. I do warn you that my Japanese is very rudimentary." Ernst had dreamed of being a sailor and travelling to far off exotic ports. But since joining the Navy all he had done was sail circles in the Baltic on a small destroyer. This would be a dream post.

"Naval officers who speak and read any Japanese are a rarity. I will submit your name to the admiral for consideration. There is however another matter regarding your party membership."

"I'm a member of the Centre Party sir."

"There is no Centre Party anymore! It's been disbanded along with all the other parties!" Wessel picked up two pieces of paper from his desk and held them out to Mode. "I have two papers here. One is your application for membership in the National Socialist Workers Party. The other one is your resignation from from the Navy. I want one of these filled out and on my desk in twenty minutes!"

Ernst sat at his desk glumly staring at the two sheets of paper. One meant travel, excitement, and a career in the Navy. It also meant joining a political party that he didn't really believe in. The other paper meant unemployment, starvation, and ruin. His monthly pay supported his parents. They would be thrown out of their apartment without him paying their rent. Ernst crumpled up the resignation letter and tossed it into the trash. He then started filling out the party application.

* * *

"So you're telling me that your father became a Fascist against his will?"

"He vas never a Fascist! That vas some Italian thing." Edna flapped her hand in a dismissive gesture, "He vas a National Socialist. It is all pretty much the same though. Fascism, Communism, National Socialism. It's like the differences between Coke, Pepsi, and RC Cola. It's pretty much all the same thing. That's why the Nazis and the Communists hated each other so much. They vere competing to get the same kind of people." Edna stared out the gigantic window. "My father felt that he had no choice but ve alvays have a choice."

"But going on, my father was chosen to the post of assistant naval liason. He took a train to France and then a commercial liner to Japan via the Suez Canal. He arrived in Tokyo in early December. . ."

* * *

It was a very crisp, cold day when the SS Mandalay sailed into Tokyo harbor. The sky was a hard blue color. Exotic looking junks filled the harbor. The sight of Mount Fujiyama was magnificent. It had to be the most perfectly formed mountain on earth and the haze gave the impression that it was floating in the sky. He didn't know how long he would remain here. It could be years.

After reporting to the German Embassy Ernst quickly settled in to his duties. Most of it was routine paperwork which left him plenty of time to explore the city and the surrounding countryside. Japan was so completely different from anything he ever experienced in Europe. One of his routine duties was to prepare for the annual Yule Ball at the embassy. When the big day arrived he put on his full dress uniform complete with the sword and epaulets. Ernst sighed. It was going to be a long dull night filled with stuffy embassy people talking about nothing in particular. As he entered the ballroom his fears seemed confirmed. The thick tobacco smoke made his eyes water. He settled against the wall with a glass of punch and glanced up at the big clock over the stairway next to the gigantic portrait of Hitler.

"Bored yet? Ernst glanced over. It was Yahachi Soji, one of the embassy's Japanese drivers.

"Not as much as I will be." Ernst answered with a smile. Unlike most of the embassy staff he wasn't caught up in all the old 'Master Race' nonsense and treated the Japanese staff like human beings. "I guess I'd better mingle."

Out of all the people in the ballroom there was one that caught his attention. It wasn't because she was beautiful because she wasn't. There were dozens of women in the room much prettier than she was. Short, even for a daughter of Nippon, she had very thick glasses, a weak chin, pug nose, and black hair bound into a ponytail. But she held her head up confidently, like a queen. Her kimono was of blue silk. It had to be her smile. It seemed to light up the room and drew him to her like a moth to the flame. Ernst approached her and gave her a slight bow. "Hello, may I introduce myself? Oberleutnant Ernst Mode at your service."

The young woman smiled at him. "I . . . am Kinuko Matsuda. I speak German very much bad."

Ernst switched to Japanese. "Kinuko, that means child of silk. It suits you very well. And the correct phrase is, 'I don't speak German very well,' I hope you won't have to use it much longer."

She repeated the phrase then said, "You speak Japanese very well for a gajin."

"Not very well but I am learning. Perhaps I can teach you German while you teach me Japanese." He glanced around the room. "It is very noisy in here. Lets step outside where we can talk."

Kinuko nodded and followed him out onto the back porch of the embassy. The chill of the December air made her shiver. Ernst took off his uniform coat and slipped it over her shoulders.

"What is the word for this?"

"Coat, it makes you warm."

As they looked out over the city Ernst had a strong desire to kiss her but he didn't dare.


	2. Wherever You Go I Will Go

**A Rose In The Ashes**

**Chapter 2**

**Wherever You Go I Will Go**

* * *

That night Ernst couldn't sleep, he couldn't stop thinking about Kinuko. All he wanted was to be with her. Ernst had never had any luck with women. Most of them found him rather dull and bland. But Kinuko actually seemed to like him. After a while he even began to think her pug nose and weak chin to be rather cute. The next day he plodded through his work without even thinking about it. His mind was entirely on Kinuko.

As soon as his duties were complete he tracked down Yahachi Soji. "Yahachi, what can you tell me about Kinuko Matsuda?"

Yahachi chuckled, "Kinuko? You're kidding aren't you? You can do much better than her." He jutted his teeth out in an exaggerated mocking manner and circled his eyes with his fingers.

Ernst felt a flush of anger. "I won't tolerate you insulting her! I didn't ask for your opinion of her! Just tell me about her!"

Yahachi sobered up. "Okay, her father is Raiden Matsuda, he manufactures small motors. He just got a big contract to build torpedo motors for the Imperial Navy. He's really pushing for war."

"War? With who? America? Britain? Russia?"

"Any of them, all of them. He doesn't care. He figures a war will make him rich. We're presently fighting the Chinese but they don't have a navy worth mentioning. He wants a war with one of the major naval powers."

Ernst felt disgusted. "A war like that would kill thousands." He hated the idea of war with all the passion of one who had been trained for one and knew what the cost would be."

Yahachi nodded. "Yes, but it would also allow Japan to dominate eastern Asia and the entire Pacific Ocean. We would become a super power equal to the British Empire."

* * *

"_So you admit that your grandfather was a warmongering arms dealer!" Paula declared with a smirk._

"_Of course I did! Didn't you hear me! I'm standing right here!" Edna replied. "Do those hideous earrings make you deaf? Now quit interrupting me while I'm speaking!"_

* * *

Yahachi drove Ernst through the streets of Tokyo. On the outskirts of the city he pulled up in front of a large traditional Japanese house surrounded by a wrought iron fence. Ernst leaped from the car. "No need to wait for me! I'll get back on my own!" Yahachi just shook his head and drove off.

Ernst straightened his tie and wiped his sweaty hands on his heavy uniform coat. His heart was pounding and his stomach felt like a lump of cement. He was sorely tempted to turn and walk away but if he did, he would probably never see Kinuko again. That thought was unbearable. So he steeled himself and walked through the gate.

An attractive middle-aged woman answered the door. Ernst removed his officer's cap and gave her a little bow. "I would like to speak with Matsuda San."

"He is still at work but you may come in and wait for him."

Ernst removed his shoes, none of the straw slippers by the door would fit his size 11 feet so he just wore his stockings. The woman led him to a low table with cushions on the floor and indicated that he should sit. She then served him tea. Ernst assumed that she was Kinuko's mother but she wouldn't speak to him any more than was absolutely necessary. After about an hour he heard a bustle at the entrance of the house and Kinuko came bounding in wearing a blue sailor suit, her hair in two braids and an armload of schoolbooks. When she saw Ernst sitting there she stopped in surprise. "Ernst!" She gave him a grin that made his heart melt but just then the mother showed up and hustled her into another room before coming back to offer him some more tea.

It took about another forty minutes before Raiden Matsuda entered. He was tall and thin with a thin elegant mustache. He was wearing a black suit and tie holding a bowler hat. He eyed Ernst suspiciously and gave a small nod of his head. "My wife told me that you were here, Lieutenant. I am honored to meet you." He didn't give much indication that he was honored to meet him.

Ernst clumsily got to his feet and bowed at the waist. I am deeply honored to be allowed into your home."

Raiden sat down and indicated that Ernst do so also. "If you are here about a torpedo contract I cannot sell to a foreign government without permission from my own government but I'm sure I can persuade the right people and we can come to an agreement."

Ernst shook his head. "I'm not here about your torpedoes. I'm not really authorized to make such an agreement and the Kriegsmarine always orders from German sources although I'm sure your torpedoes are just as good as ours."

Ernst thought he caught a quick sneer of contempt on Raiden's face but it quickly disappeared before he even registered it. "I seriously doubt that. So why are you here?"

"I would like your permission to see your daughter Kinuko." Ernst was so nervous that his voice squeaked a little and his face flushed with embarrassment.

Raiden frowned. "You haven't been in this nation for very long. I'm sure you find Asian girls exotic and exciting but I would rather you didn't explore this fascination with my daughter. You would only hurt her. I suggest you visit the large blue building down by the docks. I hear that they just got a new batch of Korean girls."

Ernst felt a flush of anger. He tried to keep his voice calm. "Matsuda San, It isn't like that. My intentions are entirely honorable."

Raiden frowned. "That may true at the moment but sailors lead such transient lives. Here today, gone tomorrow. Who knows where your next assignment will take you?" He then gave a tight lipped smile, "Your Fuhrer often speaks of the importance of racial purity. I happen to agree with him on that. The races must be kept pure. You Germans can control Europe while we control Asia. But Europeans don't belong in Asia anymore than Asians belong in Europe. The British have no business being in India and Malaysia, the French have no business being in Indo-China, America shouldn't be in Hawaii or the Philippines, the Dutch and Russians also have no business here. All Asian nations should all be united under Japan. Just as all European nations should be united under Germany. But neither place would welcome a mixed race couple or their freakish mongrel children! I forbid you to ever see my daughter again!"

Ernst's fists were clenched, but in his own repulsive way, Raiden had a point. He would never fit in here in Japan and Kinuko wouldn't fit in over in Germany where race purity was almost a religion. Without another word he bowed and left.

Out on the street Ernst mind was in turmoil. He didn't know where to go, what to do. He should head back to the embassy but he no longer felt that there was any point. He never felt so miserable in his life.

"Ernst! Ernst!" He heard a loud whisper from behind him. He turned and saw Kinuko, still dressed in her schoolgirl sailor suit, crouched in the bushes behind the iron fence.

"Kinuko!" Ernst thrust his hand through the bars and grasped her small hand. Deep feelings of love welling in his heart. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"I head what father said." She whispered, tears welling in her soft brown eyes. "And I don't care. I want to go with you." She reached through the bars to grasp his other hand.

"He's right." Ernst's voice sounded like a choke. His grip on her hands tightened.  
"I can't stay in Japan forever and you can't live with me in Germany, you don't know what it's like back there. There's no place for us." He pressed his forehead against the cold bars.

She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his. "There's a place for us." Kinuko replied. "It's with each other. No matter what the world throws at us we can face it together."

"Kinuko, I love you but I'm not sure we could be happy together. Perhaps you should stay here."

"Ernst, have you read the Book of Ruth?"

Ernst looked puzzled. "The Book of Ruth?"

"I have been reading the Bible, my father doesn't know." She shut her eyes. "Do not ask me to abandon or forsake thee! For wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Wherever you die I will die, and there be buried. May the Lord do so to me, and more besides, if aught but death separates me from you!" She gave him a long lingering kiss through the bars, "I overheard father talking to mother, he's sending me away from Tokyo, to my grandfather's house in Nagasaki, meet me there!"


End file.
